Supporting structure for a respiratory air container or other objects

ABSTRACT

The supporting plate ( 1 ) of a harness for breathing tanks and the like is flexibly connected to a waist plate ( 2 ) using an elastic formed piece ( 3 ) meant to keep said waist plate ( 2 ) on the user&#39;s back and resiliently respond to impacts, contortion, and tilting, and the link of the supporting plate and waist plate provided using the formed piece is positive-locking around a connecting pin ( 5   a ) in the direction of rotation of the plates against each other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a harness for breathing tanks or otherobjects, consisting of a supporting plate with a hinged waist plate thatis supported by the users body, and fastening straps.

2. Background Art

A waist pad is known to softly support the supporting plate in the waistarea. Such waist pads will attenuate any pressure applied due to thesoft bolstering material used; however they may also cause shifting ofthe supporting plate to which at least one breathing tank or other heavyobjects are attached so that an accurate and firm fit of the supportingplate to the users body is not ensured.

In addition, a harness including a waist plate hinged to the supportingplate in a joint that allows movement with multiple degrees of freedomhas been proposed. This hinged joining of the waist plate and thesupporting plate poses the disadvantage that it allows the former tomove around 360° and may cause a user to put it on incorrectly, so thatits capacity to move when worn is only restricted by the waist strapattached to it. This means that the supporting plate flexibly rests onthe waist and may move to a point at which the user does no longer feelthe tight and firm fit of the harness but experiences a rather insecureand shifty fit. However important wearing comfort may be, the userdefinitely wants to feel the harness strapped to the back in a secureand firm fit. In addition, the joint exerts a lumped unpadded loadpressure on the user's body.

It is therefore an objective of this invention to design a harness ofthe type described above that provides excellent wearing comfort andensures a firm fit of the supporting plate and any objects fastenedthereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This problem is solved according to the invention by the harnesscomprising the characteristics described in the independent claimsherein. The dependent claims disclose further characteristics andadvantageous improvements of the invention.

In other words, the general concept of the invention is that an elasticformed piece is centered between the supporting plate and the waistplate, and this elastic buffer element connects the two plates in axialdirection at a spacing in that these plates are positively locked tosaid elastic formed piece around a common center axis. Such a joint thatis designed to be resilient to contortion, tilting and impacts canflexibly absorb vertical impacts between the supporting and waist platesas well as tilting or pivoting movements of the supporting plate whilethe waist plate stays in firm contact with the user's body. This meansthat the rotational and tilting movements that a supporting plateattached to the formed piece can make are elastically restricted whileits firm but elastic and flexible mount ensures that the user gets thefeeling of a secure fit on the back despite the flexibility of theharness.

In an improved embodiment of this invention, the elastic formed piecehas such a profile that it can engage in correspondingly shaped recessesin the supporting and waist plates while the vertical connection ofwaist plate, formed piece and supporting plate is made usingconventional fastening means such as a threaded bolt and a nut.Alternatively, profile elements protruding from the waist and supportingplates may engage in correspondingly shaped recesses in the formed pieceto provide a torsionally elastic joint.

In an advantageous improvement of the invention, the formed piece hasthe shape of a triangular prism that partially engages in acorrespondingly shaped recess in the supporting plate for flexiblepositive interlocking. The waist plate that sits close to the remainingbase of the triangular prism is locked to the formed piece using anoff-center molded pin while the vertical joint is made using a centeredconnecting pin.

The formed piece is preferably made of rubber. Its elasticity can beinfluenced by its cross section and/or recesses or cavities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention that illustrates other characteristicsand advantages shall be explained in greater detail with reference tothe figures. Wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a view of the side of a supporting plate that faces theuser's back and the waist plate fastened to it according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 shows a detailed cross-sectional view of a flexible articulatedjoint between the waist plate and the supporting plate along line AA inFIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 shows a detailed cross-sectional view of a flexible articulatedjoint between the waist plate and the supporting plate along line BB inFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The support plate 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a waist plate 2 that rests inthe small of the user's back when operational. FIG. 2 shows that saidwaist plate 2 is curved to match the form of the human body in thisarea. A formed piece 3 made of an elastic material and having a hole 6is mounted at the bottom side of the waist plate 2 and flexibly lockedto it via a protrusion/pin 4 molded to said waist plate 2. In addition,the waist plate 2 is linked to the supporting plate via the formed piece3 using a connecting pin 5 a of the waist plate and a nut, this jointbeing firm but resilient to impact and tilting. The supporting plate 1has a seat 7 for the formed piece 3 whose triangular cross sectiongenerally matches that of the formed piece 3. However the formed piece 3protrudes beyond the plane of the supporting plate 1 so that the waistplate 2 that sits close to the upper surface of the formed piece 3 isplaced at a distance above the supporting plate 1 and can performelastically limited tilting movements. FIG. 1 shows that the elasticformed piece 3 and its seat 7 have a generally triangular prism shapewith a triangular cross section. The waist plate whose moldedprotrusion/pin 4 (FIG. 3) is positively locked in a recess 6 of theformed piece 3 is thus elastically and positively fixed around arotational axis defined by the connecting pin 5 a to allow elasticcontortion. This arrangement also allows elastically limited tilting ofthe waist plate 2 placed at a spacing from the supporting plate 1, saidtilting being determined by the elasticity of compression of the formedpiece 3 which thus can absorb vertical impacts, too. The elasticity ofthe waist plate bearing to rotation and tilting of the supporting plate1 is determined by its cross section, the elastic material used (such asrubber), and the dimensioning of the formed piece 3 and its seat 7. Inaddition, the elastic properties of the formed piece can be influencedby recesses or cavities 8 provided in it.

The waist plate 2 is firmly strapped to the user's body 12 using a waiststrap 14 fastened in slotted holes 9. The supporting place with abreathing tank (not shown) attached to it is elastically hinged on thewaist plate and will not directly follow the user's movement but only asmuch as the elasticity of the formed piece 3 allows. Thus the supportingplate 1 can be tilted and bent as limited by the elastic-formed piece 3and is firmly held to the user's, making this plate resilient butsecurely fixed. This means that the user still feels the firm fit of thesupporting plate to his or her back with the limited elastic andarticulated support provided.

The profiled shape of the formed piece and the way it is fastened to thesupport plate described above is one potential embodiment. Variousmodifications regarding the geometry of the formed piece or its positivelock in or on the supporting and waist plates as well as its verticalfastening are conceivable within the general concept of the invention ofdirectly joining a support and a waist plate using a formed piece madeof an elastic material.

1. A harness for breathing tanks and other objects consisting of asupport plate to which a waist plate supported by the user's body isflexibly hinged, and fastening straps for maintaining the support plateand waist plate on a user's body, wherein the waist plate and thesupporting plate are joined for elastic contortion and tilting using aformed piece made of an elastic material, wherein joining of thesupporting plate and the waist plate with the formed piece is achievedby positive lock at least in a direction of rotation, wherein the waistplate is held in a torsionally elastic positive interlock with theformed piece by an off-center protrusion engaging in an off-center holein the formed piece, wherein the supporting plate is held in atorsionally elastic positive interlock with the formed piece throughengagement of a non-circular portion on the formed piece with acorrespondingly shaped seat on the supporting plate.
 2. The harnessaccording to claim 1, wherein the supporting plate, the formed piece andthe waist plate are fixedly or separably linked using a connecting pin.3. The harness according to claim 1, wherein the elastic formed piece ismade of rubber.
 4. The harness according to claim 1, wherein the formedpiece comprises recesses or cavities to influence elastic properties forthe formed piece.
 5. A harness for breathing tanks and other objectsconsisting of a support plate to which a waist plate supported by theuser's body is flexibly hinged, and fastening straps for maintaining thesupport plate and waist plate on a user's body, wherein the waist plateand the supporting plate are joined for elastic contortion and tiltingusing a formed piece made of an elastic material, wherein joining of thesupporting plate and the waist plate with the formed piece is achievedby positive lock at least in a direction of rotation, wherein the formedpiece has a portion with a shape of a triangular prism and thesupporting plate has a seat with a cross section that generally matchesthe triangular prism shape of the portion of the formed piece, whereinthe formed piece has a base that protrudes from the seat, wherein thebase resides adjacent to the waist plate and is positively interlockedwith the waist plate.
 6. The harness according to claim 5, wherein thewaist plate has a protrusion that engages in a recess in the elasticformed piece for torsionally elastic interlock between the formed pieceand the waist plate.